People and Cats Wander

THE MOST COMMON 
"
PRONE TO WANDER" 
examples and attitudes


-They know Jesus as 
Savior but not as Lord of their lives 

-Whatever they think is right is right...even if it does not conform to the Word of God

-Put down/ won't listen to authority

-The Bible is rarely applied personally or even 
read 

-Jesus is not a consideration and 
never mentioned in everyday conversations

-Often quote books or articles as authority that are intellectual and  controversial...just so they can 
rebel against mainstream biblical thought 

-Justify along with others not sharing their faith in Jesus because it is not their gift (my swift response...because I don't have the gift of giving does that mean I shouldn't give?) 

As the lyrics in the song say: 
"Prone to Wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love"
 
If you have wandered from your faith in Christ... 

Here's a recommendation-
please seriously consider this 
question and statement:

Question:

Jesus asked "Who do you say I am?"

*Most wanderers will answer..."A good man or a prophet"

Statement:

"Jesus said, I am the way, truth and the life...no man comes to the Father but by me." John 14:6

*Jesus was either a liar, lunatic or Lord of all

Fact:
Correctly answering the question Jesus asked is the most important question you will ever answer!!!

Encouragement:
Don't "Wander" any longer....make peace with God through the
 "Author of life"  Jesus Christ

Ted Sprague
John 14:6


P.S.

"PRONE TO WANDER"

Tallie our BELOVED CAT- MISSING

Tallie

Tudi and I have 2 very different female indoor cats:

1-Tallie- (11 years old) a lap cat- so calming and reserved....she's all girl ...she's 11...likes to go outside on our porch (on a leash)

2-Tidbit (4 years old) playful and very welcoming to all who enter our house...rarely a dull moment...(forget the porch, she prefers to play inside)


OUR CATS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR LIVES...
however some bad news happened this week

A few days ago we thought Tallie must have gotten out of the house during some minor construction or during Tudi's book club...Tallie was discovered missing when it was almost dark

She was missing for 4 nights and 5 days!

Tudi and I looked everywhere...She had been reported missing to various social media neighborhood outlets,  animal rescue, Facebook, etc. Plus, we walked the streets, told neighbors, walked in wooded areas, checked drainage areas...Checked and rechecked our entire house.

The AMAZING NEWS:
Last Monday Tudi said to me...
"I've almost given up hope..." 
I said, "I think Tallie may have been taken by a workman or she has been killed by another animal...
but I am not giving up"

Throughout the rest of Monday I thought about one of our adult class members,  Jim, 
telling the story last Sunday of regretting not pursuing his lost adored cat that never came back

Jim's story along with the "lost coin"
story in the Bible pushed me to give another wholehearted try to 
find Tallie

Luke 15:8-10 
 The Story of the Lost Coin
"Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won't she
light a lamp and scour the house , looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she'll call her friends and neighbors: 'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' Count on it-that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God."

MONDAY NIGHT-

At approximately 6 pm last Monday night Tudi and I slowly drove our street and took turns calling out Tallie's name

I walked around the outside of the house calling out her name

I thoroughly re-checked  inside on the second floor



AMAZING

I went downstairs to the unfinished basement and called out her name...and I thought I heard a very faint "meow"...I yelled up to Tudi ,"Did Tidbit (our other cat) just meow?"
Tudi said, "No"....I thought maybe my mind was playing tricks on me...I barely heard another faint meow...I called Tudi down...there were no more sounds...I honestly thought I imagined the faint meows

BUT THEN a few minutes later...Tudi said,  "I heard it!"

Tallie had somehow gotten behind a 9 ft air vent pressed against the cement wall...beyond our reason and comprehension... HOW SHE GOT THERE?!

IF...

If I had not gone down one last time I don't think Tallie would have survived...and for sure without her faint meow we would have "never" found her

If Jim had not shared his regrets in our adult Sunday class ...and by Gods grace I was continuously inspired by the lost coin Bible story

A big thanks to our many friends who prayed and looked for her!...and offered to come look
 with us!...
FRIENDS ARE SO SPECIAL!


HOW OUR MISSING CAT APPLIES TO "PRONE TO WANDER" MESSAGE

Before I knew how this story ended for our beloved cat-

***WARNING SIGNS FOR CATS ( and PEOPLE)

A few weeks before Tallie got out I reflected that she seemed increasingly anxious to go outside- even when it was dark.

Whenever the doors were open she appeared to be ready and anxious to get out

I think she had made a friend (s) with a feral cat(s)


I wondered :
 
IS IT POSSIBLE...
PERHAPS SHE FELT "PRONE TO WANDER" from her home that loved her...
and she loved us?

Once again, we are so grateful this is not what actually happened in Tallie's case...BUT some PEOPLE and some CATS are prone to WANDER

HOWEVER THE CONSEQUENCES of "WANDERING" 
 away from home for US (and cats) is dangerous-


~Unfamiliar ENVIRONMENTS may not be safe and secure

~You can be led astray by what looks good but isn't 

~Others (people, cats, animals) may not like you after all


BOTTOM LINE:

WANDERING has negative EFFECTS and may be LONG LASTING...
SO, 
BELIEVERS- here are some safeguards:

 - Get into healthy consistent  FELLOWSHIP in the Body of Christ
 - be in the WORD...together and corporately 
 - PRAY for each other
 - ENJOY each other's giftedness
 - GROW in your relationship with Christ
 - Be a John 3:16 WITNESS (compelled by love not duty)


THE PSALMIST SAYS IT BEST...

"I WANDER about like a lost sheep; so come and look for me, your servant, because I have not neglected your laws."
Psalm 119:176 



ALSO...in the New Testament...HUMILITY

 "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."
1 Cor 10:12


*The Words to the song below are very special and should not be missed
Click below to listen:
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

www.witnessbreakthrough.org

witnessbreakthrough@gmail.com